Will Clarke Talks Productivity On The Road and EDM’s Fizzle

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Will Clarke Talks Productivity On The Road and EDM’s Fizzle

Interview by Grace Terrell:

Will Clarke; the talented young producer is making huge strides in the dance music industry. We sat down with him to get a taste of what’s in store for him in 2016 and what life’s like behind the decks.

Clarke’s increasing popularity foreshadows an amazing year for him. When asked what he plans to do differently in 2016 he said “I guess trying not to do anything differently, however sometimes the pressure of delivering makes me do things differently and overthink things. So for me, it’s about giving myself time to sit back and look at what I’m actually doing.”

2015 saw loads of release on Dirtybird, a compilation album that dropped in January 2015.  Clarke said back in November 2014 he was first introduced to Claude Vonstroke when his manager sent over some tracks, one of those being “Badness”.  This is really what led Clarke to join Claude’s team.

“It all started from there really. The early part of 2015 was a time when I was really knuckling down in the studio so I constantly had new material to send to Claude, and luckily he liked a lot of it”, said Clarke.

We asked Clarke if west coast house music and Dirtybird’s unique style of booty shakin’ club sounds affect the way he produces.  He said in a way it has, but that his sound isn’t totally Dirtybird.  “I feel I’ve got my own sound, which is the great thing about the label. It allows artist to be themselves, where a lot of other labels out there just want one set sound.”

Clarke’s extensive touring doesn’t stop him from producing. His professional time management skills and clean lifestyle make it all possible for him. “One of the main things for me is giving myself time, realistically I’m on the road Thursday to Sunday which gives me Monday to Wednesday to work in the studio. I work it as a job almost even though its the best job in the world. Also, I like to throw ideas down whilst traveling around, especially if I’m on the train. Last but not least, I don’t partake in drinking or narcotics so after a show I get sleep and wake up in the morning feeling refreshed, this makes a huge difference in productivity for me.”

Clarke is absolutely buzzing after recently closing a massive co-headline tour of North America playing at some of the most sought-after electronic music clubs on the continent.  He said that seeing his name on top of such extensive billing was “Fucking mental”. He’s been working towards it since he was 13 years old and he now realizes that this is the start. “Its crazy when you’re being billed against headliners that I’ve always looked up to, and they know who I am and support my music. Such a great feeling, I feel very lucky.”

After being behind the decks and in the trenches for two months, Clarke says the North American dance scene is pretty good right now. “There are some amazing underground clubs and some really well put on festivals.”

“…Although EDM is still huge, I think its slowly dying off, thank fuck. The kids are being educated into house music that doesn’t all sound the same. “

Clarke says one of his close friends Josh Brown is really making waves in the industry as well. “He’s just been signed to This Ain’t Bristol, but I’ve been playing his tracks for about a year now and he’s a proper legend. Very close friends of mine O.C. & Verde, these boys have just been signed to Hot Since 82’s Knee Deep In Sound and the music they have up and coming is killer. Also, there is a new kid on the block called Ben Webb who is a promoter from Lincoln in the UK. He’s not actually signed to anyone yet, but he has a back log of killer tracks. It’s only a matter of time till he breaks through.”

Australia is next on the itinerary for Clarke. “Yeah this is going to be my third time now and every time is awesome. I’ve got a lot of friends over there and the parties are always good fun, so I’m looking forward to it. Also on this tour there are a couple of new cities that I’ve never played at, so will be nice to visit some new places, said Clarke.” Fans can expect to hear a collaboration with Justin Martin for his Hello Clouds album due out on Dirtybird this month. . “Myself and Shiba San may have something in the pipeline for you all. Also my track “That Booty Percolatin”, which has been doing the rounds should be coming out in the summer. I’m also working on a full EP on top of all of this, so pretty busy.”

 

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